MCSO: Man left cats in apartment for more than a month

TEMPE, Ariz. -- A Tempe man is facing multiple counts of animal cruelty after more than a dozen cats were left abandoned in an apartment near Hardy Drive and 5th Street.

The Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to the apartment after receiving calls from concerned neighbors and apartment management staff.

Inside the apartment, MCSO said they discovered cat feces everywhere and an estimated $7,500 in damages.

A total of 15 cats had been in the apartment, nine of which were seized from a neighbor who had rescued the cats a few days before deputies arrived.

The cats were evaluated and treated, and then taken to MCSO’s First Avenue Jail where they were placed in the care of inmates.

MCSO said one cat did die, and was discovered inside a kitchen drawer.

MCSO went on to learn that the apartment had been last rented by Bradley Oliver. He was subsequently located and arrested.

According to MCSO, Oliver told deputies that he had tried to find homes for the cats, but eventually abandoned them at the start of July.

“With temperatures so high, it’s amazing more of these cats did not die as a result of this suspect’s neglect,” said Sheriff Joe Arpaio. “The conditions these young cats were abandoned in were truly disgusting.”

Oliver has been charged with nine counts of animal cruelty. He was released from jail on $1,800 bond.